Menu
It is possible to add and remove elements from an enum in Java at runtime?
For example, could I read in the labels and constructor arguments of an enum from a file?
@saua, it's just a question of whether it can be done out of interest really. I was hoping there'd be some neat way of altering the running bytecode, maybe using BCEL or something. I've also followed up with this question because I realised I wasn't totally sure when an enum should be used.
I'm pretty convinced that the right answer would be to use a collection that ensured uniqueness instead of an enum if I want to be able to alter the contents safely at runtime.
766
No, it can't as this would mean that you would be able to modify existing types at runtime which you can't.
You cannot create an object of an enum explicitly so, you need to add a parameterized constructor to initialize the value(s). The initialization should be done only once. Therefore, the constructor must be declared private or default. To returns the values of the constants using an instance method(getter).
No, we cannot extend an enum in Java. Java enums can extend java. lang. Enum class implicitly, so enum types cannot extend another class.
In Java, we can also add variables, methods, and constructors to it. The main objective of enum is to define our own data types(Enumerated Data Types). Declaration of enum in Java: Enum declaration can be done outside a Class or inside a Class but not inside a Method.
No, enums are supposed to be a complete static enumeration.
At compile time, you might want to generate your enum .java file from another source file of some sort. You could even create a .class file like this.
In some cases you might want a set of standard values but allow extension. The usual way to do this is have an interface for the interface and an enum that implements that interface for the standard values. Of course, you lose the ability to switch when you only have a reference to the interface.
168
Behind the curtain, enums are POJOs with a private constructor and a bunch of public static final values of the enum's type (see here for an example). In fact, up until Java5, it was considered best-practice to build your own enumeration this way, and Java5 introduced the enum keyword as a shorthand. See the source for Enum<T> to learn more.
So it should be no problem to write your own 'TypeSafeEnum' with a public static final array of constants, that are read by the constructor or passed to it.
Also, do yourself a favor and override equals, hashCode and toString, and if possible create a values method
The question is how to use such a dynamic enumeration... you can't read the value "PI=3.14" from a file to create enum MathConstants and then go ahead and use MathConstants.PI wherever you want...
27
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
